


Memories of Fire

by frenchfrybird



Category: Star Wars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 07:06:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11664096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchfrybird/pseuds/frenchfrybird
Summary: Set during the era shortly before the prequels, on Mandalore during the civil war. It follows a group of Mandalorian warriors trying to survive and protect each other.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> If you're a fan of Bo-Katan Kryze and think she's a good person, this probably is not the fic for you. Sorry. If you don't like real world politics making an appearance in your fiction, this also is not the fic for you.
> 
> Bonus! Scavenger hunt: can you find all the references to Latin American literature and writers?

The civil war between Death Watch and the True Mandalorians devastated Mandalore, instigating a massive humanitarian crisis. Millions had died, and millions more would be dead by the end of the war. Many relief organizations in the galaxy had a strict "no militarization" policy. Not Guarded Heart. Numerous raids, both on supply depots meant for civilian aid, and kidnapping refugees for the slave markets, or even just outright mass murder meant Guarded Heart could not afford to be without military protection. So they began hiring Mandalorian warriors, even entire clans, as protection. Some refugees were even inducted into the clans, becoming warriors in their own right. Their primary purpose was to protect supply chains, the refugees, and each other as they sought a way off Mandalore and its controlled systems, onto planets where they would be safe. Where the civil war and its horrors could never touch them again.

And Sevi Brid was particularly motivated to ensure their safety.


	2. Chapter 2

Sevi Brid was born to Clan Brid, the daughter of the clan leader, Yona Brid, and her husband Marti. Sevi had no siblings, but that was fine by her. She had plenty of clanmates her age to grow up with, tinker with gear, and most importantly, become stronger warriors with. Sevi was one of the best sharpshooters in the entire clan. She never missed a mark. Perfect vision, and a unique rifle tied into her helmet's optical technology made her great shots even better. She was a pretty good weapons tech too, knowing how to dismantle, reassemble, and even design some new combat gear. Sevi was petite. A thin but fit build from her regular exercise and sparring practices. She was 5'2"; barely shorter than her mother who stood at 5'4" and her father who was 5'6". At age 22, Sevi was long past her final growth spurt. She wouldn't have minded being Papa's height, but at least all gear was custom made so she didn't have to worry about her chestplate being too long, or her helmet being too big. Sevi had gorgeous dark skin, perfectly matching her beautiful deep brown eyes. "You have your mother's eyes," Marti once told her while gazing at Yona. "Eyes so deep, so full, you could get lost in them." Her hair was thick and very curly; her preferred way of styling it was in dozens of braids, going no farther than shoulder length. Her mother once commented, when Sevi's hair was long enough to poke out of her helmet by several inches, that she should cut it, lest it get caught in her rifle or jetpack. Sevi heeded these words, even if she really did want to grow it as long as possible. It was a lesson Yona had learned personally; in old photos, her mother’s hair went down to her waist. "Burnt hair is an awful smell," she had told her daughter once, while grimacing and laughing. Sevi left her reverie, and turned back to the situation at hand: the refugee crisis and evacuation of her clan's non-combatants.

The civil war had touched the lives of Clan Brid, even in their relative isolation. Their sister clan and strongest ally in the region, Clan Yue, had been attacked by Death Watch leaving a medic-in-training named Ria Yue as the sole survivor. She had escaped the massacre while studying at the better equipped, larger, and more advanced Brid hospital. Before the war, Clan Brid had more resources, more weapons, manpower, materiel, and more resources than Clan Yue, but the outbreak of civil war had slowed food rations, fuel, water, everything to a crawl. No one had anything to spare, and when supplies were delivered, they were woefully incomplete. Death Watch attacked any supply ships that entered their theater of war. Markets and other suppliers were unreliable, if they were even present at all. And the scale and ferocity of the assault on the Yue compound had been so rapid that Clan Yue could not call on its allies for help. And while Clan Brid was in better shape than Clan Yue had been by virtue of a higher populace, better doesn't mean best. Far from it. Lost supplies were expected, the entire planet was a battlefield after all. But the genocide of an entire clan?

Ria had urged Yona to pull her people out of the region, to somewhere more defensible. Death Watch would need time to prepare the assault, but the attack would happen. Ria didn’t want to see the destruction of her only allies. She had visited her compound after the destruction of her clan, with an escort of Brid warriors, medics, and investigators. She had insisted on seeing the bodies of her parents, and Brid medics laid them out on a clean white plastic sheet outside the remains of her home, the stench of their badly burnt skin stinging her nostrils and making her eyes water with grief and horror. She saw the holes where defense guns had been blown out of place, where other homes had once been. She desperately searched the wreckage for her little brother, but found only dead adults. She heard stories of Death Watch abducting youths to brainwash into reinforcements, or even just to sell into slavery. That gave her hope. He may still be alive, and if he was, she swore to find him, to free him from Death Watch and to destroy them as utterly as they had murdered her family. She was a maelstrom; she felt nothing, and yet, everything.

Yona had taken the Yue girl's words into consideration. She may have just been a medical trainee, but she was the last of her clan, and close to Sevi's age too. She imagined what would've happened to Sevi, had the roles been reversed. Yona, no, ALL of Clan Brid, had an obligation to protect the last known living member of Clan Yue. She sent scout teams out, ordered any aerial reconnaissance when it was possible, assessing the situation, then spoke with the rest of the clan. Most agreed to evacuate, but others had wanted to join the True Mandalorians and declare war. Yona and her supporters argued with the others that Clan Brid's numbers were too low, its allies too few, its supply situation too perilous, and it could not guarantee the safety of its most vulnerable members. Her opponents acquiesced upon being reminded of what happened to the children of Clan Yue. No one in Clan Brid, no one, wanted their children to disappear while they were at war and become the enemy's, and with most of the warriors away they would make ripe pickings. The safety and protection of their own people would always come first. Yona’s love of family, cool head, and her powerful desire to balance everyone’s needs is what made her alor, clan leader. Yes, she and her people are Mandalorians, and Mandalorians make war, but no Mandalorian should run off to the battlefield with their rear exposed. The conversation was now over, it was time to move. Clan Brid was to join Guarded Heart in exchange for the safe transport of the clan’s non-combatants. And Yona knew she had to get Ria on a transport too.


	3. Chapter 3

Traveling by night and hiding by day made it easier to avoid Death Watch patrols. After a few days, they reached their destination: the Guarded Heart camp.

Sevi was watching Ria pace anxiously near the Brid section of camp. Ria was about the same height as Marti, and she had a fitter build than Sevi's, due to her medic training. Hauling wounded people around requires a lot more upper body strength than the weapons combat Sevi trained in. Ria's complexion was medium, a reflection of her partial zabrak heritage, though she looked completely human. The slight bit of makeup on her face had long since been sweated off and mixed into the reddish sunburn on her cheeks. Her black hair was cropped close to her head. She and Sevi had been friends since they were kids, and after Ria moved to the Brid compound to study, they became even closer. Sevi approached her, and handed her a canteen of water.

"Oh! Thank you,” Ria gulped down the water greedily.

"I know this is really nerve wracking but...you should get out of the sun.” Sevi motioned towards a tent.

The pair walked in just as Yona was finalizing the first transports of the clan. "Sevi, Ria! Great timing; I’ve got the first transport manifest sorted. Ria, you've been selected."

Ria paused. Her face was blank. She looked at the ground briefly, then Yona, then glanced at Sevi in an almost accusatory way. Her brow narrowed as she looked Yona dead in the eye. "No."

Sevi was taken aback. "But Ria, you're the last of your clan, and a medic! If you go first --"

Ria cut her off angrily. "You expect me to go off world to play babysitter?!"

Yona approached Ria slowly, with a look of concern on her face. She put her hands on her shoulders. She looked Ria in the eyes, eyes so full of pain and anger. "The transport leaves in 5 hours. I want you to seriously consider what you're doing. If you decide to remain here, we'll find you a place. But please understand that you are the last of your clan, the only one who can carry on their legacy. Clan Brid and Clan Yue have been allies for over a century and their deaths will not go unavenged. I swear to you, on my honor as alor of Clan Brid and loyal ally to the Yues. Your brother will be returned to you. Just please think about what you're doing."

Ria shook her head. "I...I don't know." She removed Yona's hands from her shoulders then exited the tent.

Sevi watched the space Ria had just been in, mulled for a moment, then decided to chase after Ria. "Ria, wait!"

She spun around. "Did you know?"

"That Mama wanted to send you off world? Not explicitly, but I had an idea."

Ria gave Sevi a hard look. "We've known each other since we were kids, and you would really force me to abandon my family?!" She realized the harshness of what she just said and caught herself. "I...look I'm sorry. I...I know you're just trying to help. I ju--" She tried to swallow her welling tears. Sevi stepped up to her and wrapped her arms around her. Ria broke out into frantic sobs, leaning her head into Sevi’s shoulder. "I want to find him. I have to be there for him. Please. Please let me stay. I'm a medic. I don't have to fight. I can help people here. Please."

"It's not my choice, Ria. It's yours. It's always been your choice. Whatever you decide, I've got your back." Sevi let Ria go once her sobs had abated slightly. "C'mon, let's go clean you up and get you something to eat."

"Y-yeah. Yeah that sounds good." Ria wiped her eyes with one hand. Sevi held the other and led her to the mess tent.


	4. Chapter 4

Yona suspected Ria would choose to remain in camp and accepted her decision. Ria was just like Sevi in many ways; kind but with a strong will and always prepared to fight, even if her condition wasn't always the best. But she still needed time to cope with what happened. She wouldn't allow Ria on the battlefield, not with her medical skills. There weren't nearly enough doctors at the encampment, outbreaks and injuries were common, and they couldn't afford to lose the few medical personnel they did have while out on patrol or escorting supplies. Everyone was given a crash course in first aid, but she knew some of her people would die in the field, but what choice was there? They were at war, and everyone knew what was at stake.

She personally began assembling an elite squad for a vital mission.. Disease was ripping through the malnourished refugees, and a life saving vaccine, amongst other crucial medical supplies were still in the old compound. Death Watch likely noticed their exodus and already raided the base, but there were hidden stores that hadn't been destroyed in the retreat. They would greatly aid the war and rescue operations and needed to be recovered.


	5. Chapter 5

Sevi surveyed her clan members. The squad leader was Dri, chiss engineer from Coruscant. He moved to Mandalore for civilian work with his wife and child. They had been killed in a raid and he abandoned his old job to become a Mandalorian warrior. He was in his mid 40s, but just as fit and capable as any of the youths. He had a sharp mind and designed parts of the compound, and as a result rapidly ascended the ranks to become the second in command, even if his personality was terse and a little abrasive. He was practical and his armor reflected that; it was camouflaged to reflect the local landscape. There was Shani too, a zabrak close in age to Sevi, with bright pink hair and armor painted hot pink to match. She was a security expert and had helped build the systems on the base. If for some reason Shani was locked out of her own systems, there was Joma, a cathar and explosives expert with a particular love of birds. Their armor had a painted on feather pattern in multiple blues, reds, greens, and yellows, with jaig eyes adorned their helmet. Sevi heard tales of their bravery and expertise. Looking at her clan she felt somehow...underdressed. Sure they all wore the same gear, but Sevi's armor was mostly white with simple blue and green designs stenciled on, bearing Clan Brid's colors and sigils. She wasn't particularly artistically talented, but she preferred the minimalism. She also noticed that they were all highly skilled, among the best of the clan, yet she still felt nervous. She knew they couldn't fail, that lives depended on them.


	6. Chapter 6

The squad approached the compound on foot from the south side. Noise from speeders and lights from jetpacks likely would've alerted Death Watch to their presence; secrecy and surprise were their best weapons. The compound was located in a valley, within a small mountain range. The nearest mountain housed the medical facility at its base. The power generators and backups had been sabotaged before they moved out, but if an outside source was brought in, it would be possible to power up the security systems. The heavy guns and security systems had been destroyed during the retreat, but the squatters likely set up their own.

"Shani, check for security cameras. Sevi, survey and report. Make it fast." Dri hoisted Sevi up and over the natural rock formation they were hidden behind.

She hid behind rocks, trying to cover up as best she could to avoid nightvision. She grabbed her rifle off her back, and looked into the scope. Two sentries were positioned at the closest entrance gate. She took note of at least two teams of patrols, two men each, walking the length of the wall. Their patrol routes were lined up so they always had the other team's rear covered. Worried about spending too much time in view, she slid down and reported her findings.

"Suspected as much," Dri grit his teeth then turned to Shani. "Progress report."

"Well the good news is, the cameras are older which means they've got a lot more vulnerabilities that haven't been patched. I can easily turn them to our side, either to watch for us or to loop images of empty streets. Bad news is, uh, just how the hell are we supposed to bypass the sentries?"

"Don't be a smartass," Dri was irritated. "Can you slice into the system or not?"

"You'd know I already had access if you put your helmet on," She shot back.

"Good. Now slice their comms."

Joma and Sevi shared a look, shrugged, and put their helmets on. Sevi tuned to the frequency Shani had given them. On visual were some of the streams from the sliced cameras. The radio chatter was banal, until Death Watch began bragging to each other about what a "great find" this base was, and how it was in so much better shape and so much nicer and bigger than the other nearby compound. Sevi narrowed her brow and felt a welt of anger in her chest. No shit, Sevi thought, you reduced the Yue compound to ash and molten metal.

"Joma," Dri turned to them. "Prep your explosives to set up a diversion along the north wall."

"Armed and ready for action!" Joma said that with a little bit too much enthusiasm.

"Show a little restraint, yeah?" Dri motioned for Joma to get moving.

"Oh I've got a GREAT idea." Joma skipped off.

Sevi looked through her scope and watched Joma. They patiently waited for the sentry teams to be at their furthest point, when their backs were turned on each other, then threw the explosives. It stuck to the wall, and Joma returned rapidly but stealthily to the rest of the squad's position.

"Boom." Joma pressed a button on their gauntlet. The north wall exploded in a massive inferno. Flaming debris shot out in every direction. Every single sentry team abandoned post and immediately headed towards the breach.

Dri's voice was calm and steady but Sevi could feel the intense irritation at Joma as he spoke. "Move, now!" He gave Joma a shove for good measure.

The team vaulted over the wall, ducking into the narrow, twisting streets which were designed to make fighting for every inch as painful as possible if the compound were ever invaded. It also meant hiding would be easier. Sevi listened to the Death Watch comms. Absolute chaos. Some sentries admitted to leaving their posts. Sevi heard gunshots through the audio. More orders were barked: directives to locate the intruders. Sevi turned to Shani.

"Hey, my cameras are good! I looped back the video, they're operating on an assumption."

"Doesn't matter, the streets will be crawling with Death Watch soon. Joma, help me with this," Dri was pulling at a heavy access hatch in the ground. "We'll move through the subterranean maintenance tunnels."

Shani and Sevi dropped down first, and Joma followed, with Dri slowly lowering the hatch behind them so it wouldn't slam down and give away their position. Sevi wasn't familiar with the access tunnels. The only people who had a reason to go down here were the maintenance crews. After the power station had been sabotaged, the pumps stopped working, flooding the tunnels with groundwater. Sevi judged that Death Watch hadn't been down here and likely wouldn't be. Their smaller generators only powered limited systems: the security cameras, parts of the hospital, a command center. The subterranean maps, according to Dri, were locked inside the now destroyed command center console, beneath layers of encryption that even Shani would have trouble accessing; the only extant copy was now in Dri's helmet computer. They moved down the tunnels, following Dri. They emerged in a basement corridor, then snuck around to the secure storage room at the end of the hallway.

"You two open the door," Dri pointed to Shani and Joma, "And be subtle." He directed to Joma. He then turned to Sevi. "On patrol. Check in every two minutes." He addressed Shani and Joma again. "If we miss check in, you are to take the supplies and return to base."

They all nodded in understanding. Sevi began her patrol with a bit of dread. The place was deserted, but she didn't like the idea of some Death Watch observing her from the shadows, ready to pounce. She opened doors and peered inside as she walked. Nothing. She approached the end of the corridor, with a set of heavy doors leading up to the stairs. She flipped the lock. It wouldn't stop anyone from busting them down of course, but it would give her a warning, a few seconds to prepare. She stopped at the rendezvous point. She waited for check in. Shani and Joma responded but Dri didn’t. She tried raising him multiple times. Nothing. Shit. She tried yet again. Still nothing. Shit. Shit shit shit shit. Shani and Joma reported that the door was nearly open but they could abort to find Dri. No, Sevi decided. She'd keep her channel open and look for him by herself. They needed those supplies. She moved swiftly and silently down the hallway. She turned on her thermal vision. No figures...she reached the end of the hallway. A dead end. No trace of Dri. She heard something drop behind her, spun around, and screamed as she was shocked unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

Sevi groaned. Her entire body ached and felt heavy. She tried to move her arms and found her wrists bound by handcuffs behind her back. She shrugged and tried to get up on her knees. She felt a swift kick to her chest and fell back over.

"I don't think so." A voice said. Sevi struggled to open her eyes. She saw a man in Death Watch armor, pointing a pistol at her head.

She blinked in the harsh light, trying to take in her surroundings. She was in a small tent with floodlights pointed at her. She tried to move her head to look for Dri and felt another swift kick to the chest. She groaned again and closed her eyes. She decided to feel her surroundings instead. Well, hands behind her back, so no jetpack. She moved her wrists. No vambraces. She tried to touch the back of her waist...no belt. Hardly a surprise that she'd been disarmed, but still uncomfortable...vulnerable. At least she had her armor. Almost sensing what she was thinking, the Death Watch grabbed her and threw her across the room hard. She fell into a metal crate, hitting the back of her head.

"Don't even THINK of trying to escape, aruetii. Our leader has questions for you."

The pain of colliding into the corner of the box had properly woken Sevi up. Aruetii? Sevi was born and bred Mandalorian, what the hell did he mean calling her an "outsider"? But she dare not ask. It seemed the only thing holding him back from pulling the trigger was his boss, but she didn't want to make herself a bigger target for abuse. She looked down at the ground, deliberately avoiding eye contact and hopefully his ire. She was barely aware of the time crawling by when the silence was broken. Three Death Watch burst into the entrance of the tent, carrying a bloody and badly beaten chiss man. They threw him to the ground.

"Get up." One ordered, pointing a pistol at Dri. He struggled to his knees. The Death Watch motioned with the pistol for him to move next to Sevi.

The Death Watch leader moved in between his men. Unlike the gray armor of his subordinates, his was totally black, with a gaudy shoulder cape to match. His helmet, tucked under his arm, bore the sigil of Clan Vizsla. His hair, skin, and eyes were light, Sevi noted, as she surveyed the room, just like the rest of the Death Watch present. She had suspicions the rest of the organization was the same. Beside him was a woman in blue armor bearing the Nite Owl insignia. Her fiery red hair held back from her pale face with a headband. She extended a hidden blade from her gauntlet and pressed it against Dri's neck.

"So, I'll try to be cordial," the leader said, pacing slowly in front of Sevi.

Images flashed through Sevi's head...rows of body bags, containing the corpses of Clan Yue. No. Her anger swelled. "Yeah, real fucking cordial." She didn't take her eyes off the blade against Dri's neck.

"You give me the information I want," he said, "and maybe I let you go. Tell me, why are you stealing our supplies? Where are you taking them?"

Dri laughed. "Go to hell."

The leader's eyes connected with his second in command's. He nodded. She grinned. She cut the blade deep into Dri's throat, blood spurting across Sevi's face. She recoiled in shock as he gasped and gurgled his last breaths, blood soaking into the thirsty ground. Despite the trauma of his wounds, he looked almost at peace. It was...uncanny.

"He was unreasonable anyway." Vizsla shrugged then quickly moved to Sevi, grabbing her by the face. "I think you should cooperate." He let her go roughly, shoving the back of her head into the side of the crate.

A million thoughts swirled through her head. Why...why. Why. Her insides were on fire. The edges of her vision started to go black. The world titled. She heard sobs. Her own? She wasn't sure. The ground wobbled more, then rose to meet her.


	8. Chapter 8

Sevi heard yelling. Felt a sharp pain in her side. Familiar, but unwelcome. She struggled to open her eyes. It felt like a veil was over her. She looked at the ground. The dirt was darker in a patch next to her. She wanted to forget. Wanted it to be a horrible nightmare. But it wasn't. She propped herself up against the metal crate, streaked with blood. She looked into the face of the Death Watch leader..

"Good morning. We have much to discuss, unless you want to end up like your friend." He motioned to the bloodstains.

Sevi stared at him, no, through him, blankly. Nothing he said registered with her. She licked her lips, suddenly aware of how thirsty she was. She tasted copper. She realized it was Dri's blood. She moved her face and felt the stiffness of dried blood. She gazed down at her armor, it had gone from white to red. She heaved.

Vizsla recoiled, disgust on his face. "Hose it down." He ordered and stormed angrily out of the tent.

After a few moments, some grunts came in with buckets of water and poured them across Sevi and the ground. She shivered. At least most of the blood had been washed off, and she had managed to tilt her head back to drink some of the water so she wasn't thirsty anymore. She had no idea how long she would be held captive. The thought of it slowly ate away at her until she nearly became frantic. She needed to escape. No, she needed to calm down, formulate a plan.

Vizsla walked back into the tent, his second, the commander of the Nite Owls, beside him. "So, let's talk." He said.

"Alright." Sevi acquiesced. "But I need answers." She tried to quiet her emotions. To think with a clear head. She tried to look meek and defeated. Evidently he bought it, because he agreed. Her first question: "Why?"

"To make Mandalore great again." He beamed with pride. "To free it of destabilizing foreign elements, like your friend. Mandalore must be united, both in spirit...and in body." He stared with contempt at Sevi.

She covered up a snort of laughter with a coughing fit. "Mandalore has always been united by the Resol'nare. All Mando'ade share a value system, and each warrior brings their own strengths to the clan."

"Of course YOU would think that." He was getting angry. "That very diversity is what led to our fracturing, and someone like YOU could never truly understand what it is to be Mandalorian."

"Is that why you murdered Clan Yue? Because they weren't Mandalorian enough?" Sevi felt like the eye of the storm.

He shrugged. "The name escapes me, but the only real Mandalorians are the Death Watch. We seek a true return our warrior past."

Was this a bad attempt at recruitment? How the hell could anyone be stupid enough to follow this guy? And just how stupid did he think Sevi was that she'd allow herself to be their token?

"The time for debate is over," the woman next to him said. "We're not here to discuss politics. Fucking shoot her or send her to Saule."

Saule? Sevi racked her brain. It was across the mountains. A small town. It had been abandoned. What was there...that's right! It was an old beskar mine. Sevi remembered disobeying her parents as a young teen and exploring the old tunnels with her clanmates. Operations had ceased decades ago because the vein went dry. Death Watch must be looking for a new source of iron for their armor and weapons. It was possible that’s where the Yue prisoners were too! That was very valuable information. Now if only she knew how get that information back to her clan. The plan was forming in her mind. She would bide her time.

She gave Vizsla outdated information, waited for him to check it and confirm it, then fed him more outdated information. She played this game for a few days, rebuilding her strength and gaining his trust, appearing weak and defeated. Her handcuffs were even removed long enough to cuff her in front, so she would be more comfortable. Her guards were eventually reduced down to only one, a Nite Owl. Every 15 minutes a sentry would walk in to do a status check. She remained patient...waiting...counting each second of every minute...the sentry turned her back to Sevi. Five minutes until status check, but this may be her only chance. She sprung into action, wrapping the cuffs around the sentry's neck. She struggled and gasped for air, but Sevi was full of adrenaline and unleashed her pent-up rage. Her will to survive was stronger than Death Watch's will to destroy. When the sentry dropped, Sevi searched the body for keys, unlocked herself, replaced her missing gear with her foe's, then quickly ducked out the back of the tent under the cover of night.

She hoped the darkness would cover that not all her armor was Death Watch standard issue. She walked with purpose, but didn't run for fear of being discovered. She had the comms on, listening intently. Nothing so far...but it would be only another minute or two before her escape was discovered. She tried to manipulate the helmet viewer. It gave her very little information in comparison to her old sniper's gear. She had half a mind to go back into the camp and find it. Its tech was top of the line. She dismissed the impulse to run back as she approached the speeder depot. She pulled a blaster from its holster and shot the two sentries guarding the entrance in the back, causing their jetpacks to explode. Just as she was running into the depot, she heard the call over the comms, "PRISONER ON THE RUN!" She grabbed the fastest speeder she could find in a pinch, and hauled ass out of the camp. "LOCATION: SPEEDER DEPOT!"

Sevi had no idea where she was. She must've been taken far out from the Brid compound in the event she escaped like she just had. This wasn't her home turf, but it was Death Watch's. Regardless, she pressed on, pushing the speeder to its absolute limits. She had to get back to the Guarded Heart camp. She had to tell Mama what she discovered. She had to tell Ria. Ria...Sevi's thoughts drifted to Dri and the look of calm on his face as he lay dead. He had lost everyone he loved. Sevi wanted desperately for Ria to not share his fate. Sevi would give her a reason to live, a reason to continue the fight. A way to find Rico.

She pressed on into familiar territory. Dawn was breaking when she heard distant fire behind her. Shit! Death Watch was closing in. She maneuvered down a twisting path, trying to lose them before she exited the mountains into the desert canyon where the Guarded Heart camp was. The speeder engine sputtered and groaned as she continued to push it to its very limit. She saw lights in the canyon. A patrol? Blaster fire again, this time much closer, but still too far for a decent shot. Apparently Death Watch knew the roads just as well as she did, if not better. The thought of their proximity to the camp made her feel sick. She was near enough to the lights now that she could make out that it was a small convoy. She heard muffled shouting, and the familiar whistle of an anti air missile fired from a jetpack. She leapt off the speeder, powering up her own jetpack. The speeder exploded. She hurriedly pulled the viewer down. That was...Clan Brid armor!

"Stop firing!!" Sevi shouted frantically. "I'm Sevi Brid!"

Blaster fire. And another anti air rocket, this time from her rear. Her pursuers had caught up. Sevi spun around to avoid it; a hole was blasted into the canyon wall three feet behind her, causing a minor rockslide. The blaster fire from her front got heavier. Her clan wasn’t listening to her pleas, maybe they couldn't hear her over the sound of their own guns? She decided she had one tactic left. She pulled off the Death Watch helmet and swooped down to their position, wrist shield up as she blocked shots and yelled at them.

"Sha'kajir!" One shouted. The blaster fire stopped. "It's Sevi Brid! She's alive!"

Sevi flew in and landed on the convoy. Her clanmates tried to ask her what happened, but she ignored them. "Death Watch approaching from the west, prepare yourselves!" She put the helmet back on, then pulled the blasters from their holsters.

Death Watch closed in fast before the dust from the rockslide even began to clear. Rockets on both sides fired. A convoy speeder and its rider were taken out, but Clan Brid returned the favor. Sevi fired at the lead Death Watch and missed. She really, really missed her old helmet and rifle. She took to the skies again with her allies, taking them out in closer range battles. Five. Four. Three were left. Death Watch suddenly pulled back, and returned west. Apparently capturing Sevi and these supplies weren't worth it. Sevi and her clanmates returned to the convoy and made it to camp by mid morning. Normally she would've helped unload the supplies, but she was suddenly aware of every single ache and pain in her body. She pulled the helmet off and felt the back of her head. She pulled her hand back. Blood was on her glove. She walked to the medical tent.

She had just barely pulled the flap back when she was ambushed by Ria. She said nothing, but her face was full of both relief and worry, as she grabbed Sevi by the hand and lead her to a cot. She looked her over, took note of the injury to her head, placed a numbing gel and disinfectant onto the wound. Despite the painkiller, Sevi still felt twinges of pain as Ria sewed the wound shut. She helped Sevi out of the rest of her armor and gave her a full medical exam. Some of Sevi's ribs were cracked, and she was ordered to remain in the medical tent until she was fully healed. Sevi wanted to protest and tell Ria everything right then and there but she felt a wave of exhaustion roll over her. She fell asleep before Ria had even finished the exam.


	9. Chapter 9

Sevi awoke to the sound of hushed, yet harsh voices. She opened her eyes, lifted her head slightly, jolting awake due to the pain. She let out a groan. Another angry voice, this time louder. She heard the sound of footsteps hurrying over to her.

"I'm sorry about that," it was Ria. "Here, this should help with the pain." She administered something to Sevi and she felt the pain in her head and ribs lighten a little.

"What was that about?" Sevi asked.

"Don't worry about it." Ria replied. "Focus on yourself and getting better. I'll handle anything that comes through."

Sevi looked past Ria, to the entrance. There were two of Sevi's clanmates in full armor, standing impatiently. Sevi groaned again. "It's about me, isn't it?"

"If they don't leave," Ria said loudly, looking back at them, "they'll be hospitalized next."

Sevi heard some grumbling and the two exited the tent. Ria sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "I thought they'd never leave. I'm sorry they woke you up. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a speeder."

Ria frowned. "That's...not entirely what I meant."

The two paused. There was silence. Sevi didn't know how to explain what happened. She had no idea how much anyone else knew, but it was clear from her injuries that it wasn't good. Sevi finally broke the silence and asked.

"There...was a broadcast on the HoloNet. Propaganda... Death Watch edited their own faces out but..." Ria sat down on the edge of Sevi's cot. She picked Sevi's hand up, as if to examine it, then stroked her fingers. "We saw what happened...to Dri. I thought..." She choked a little and continued to stare at Sevi's fingers, still rolling them between hers. "I don't want to lose you too." Her voice gave out at the end.

More silence. Sevi wrapped her hand around Ria's. "I'm not going anywhere."

"The hell you're not!" Ria tried to lighten the mood. "You're here for two months, doctor's orders!"

Sevi couldn't help but laugh, even if it hurt. But she was glad to be in Ria's care, to be back home. Telling her about her brother could wait, at least for a few days. Her head was foggy and her body ached, and Sevi was sure Ria would refuse to hear it anyway. It was for the best, after what Sevi had been through, and what Ria had experienced emotionally.


	10. Chapter 10

A few days passed. Sevi was already feeling much better and could probably handle herself outside of the medical tent, but stayed on at Ria's insistence to avoid inquiries from clan leadership. Ria had been mostly successful at fending visitors off until Marti walked in one afternoon.

"Hey!" Ria shouted as she rushed over to Sevi's bedside.

"Relax, Ria. I'm just here for a quick visit." Marti reassured her and gave her a light push away. He turned to Sevi and sat on the edge of her cot. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." Sevi replied.

"No, I mean, how are you doing?" he asked more pointedly.

"If you mean Ria, she's just shooing away your interrogators so I can actually get a full night's sleep." Sevi raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look!" he laughed. "Once your mother found out she blew a gasket."

Sevi laughed in response. "I know you want answe--"

"Not right now. I'm just here to see my daughter." He wrapped his arms around Sevi's shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze. "I got something for you." He pulled up the helmet Sevi had taken from the Nite Owl. "It's not what your old helmet was, I know, but it's been refitted and upgraded. How do you like it?"

"Well, aside from the style of the faceplate, it looks a lot like my old helmet, actually." Sevi turned it over in her hands. The paint was the same color, the sigils and other markings were in familiar places. "I know we're low on resources, but is it compatible with any of the sniper rifle models we have?"

"I would've brought you the rifle to test it with, but I think Ria would have a heart attack." He chuckled. "Don't worry, once you test it out you'll never know the difference."

Sevi was suddenly aware that she seemed ungrateful. She kissed her father on the cheek. "I love you Papa, and thank you very much."

"I should head out, I think Ria is giving me the death glare. Once you're released, come by the command center and talk to your mother."

"Tell Mama I love her." Sevi called. She watched Marti wave then walk out of the tent.


	11. Chapter 11

A few more days came and went when Ria finally caved into Sevi’s demands for discharge. "Are you sure about this? I can put a hold on you for a few more days."

"I need to report to command. Actually, I'd like you to be there." Sevi wasn't completely healed yet. A few more weeks would be necessary for that, but she was ready to be released. She was struggling with sitting idle on the information she had.

"Me?" Ria asked.

"Yeah, there's things I found out that you need to know." Sevi pulled a jacket over her shoulders. She linked her arm with Ria’s and the two walked out of the hospital tent.

The two entered through the flap of the command tent. Yona had been leaning over the center table, devising strategy, but straightened up when her daughter approached. Shani and Joma were present too. She felt relief upon seeing their faces. The mission may have failed, Sevi hadn't had time to ask, but at least they were alive. The rest of the command staff turned to face Sevi. She breathed in deeply, then exhaled.

"While I was imprisoned," she started, "one of them let slip where they keep prisoners."

The entire room remained silent, eyes fixed on Sevi. She felt Ria stir next to her.

She continued, "I don't know for sure that's where every prisoner is being kept, or even prisoners from our area but," she pulled up the location of the old abandoned mine in Saule via the holoterminal. "Apparently they're trying to dig out a new vein of beskar here."

"We need a lot more information than that." A man barked.

"Shut the fuck up, or'dinii." Ria retorted. "I don't think Death Watch exactly likes to tell its prisoners its secret plans."

"Well, I did see two of its leaders. One is Clan Vizsla, he seemed to be running the whole show. The other, I'm not sure, but she was the leader of the Nite Owls." She then described, as best she could, their appearances and the location of the camp where she was being held.

"Thank you, you are dismissed." Yona looked exhausted and full of stress. Her words were tinted with sorrow at the pain her daughter experienced. Sevi supposed they all looked strained. Making war wasn't relaxing.

Sevi nodded and exited the tent with Ria. The two went for a short walk around the compound.

"Well, that went better than I expected." Sevi said.

"Yeah, I have a feeling your mother had a hand in that." Ria winked.

"So, uh, any other news?" Sevi asked, quickly changing gears. She felt guilty over sucking up all of this attention when there was a war going on.

"Well apparently the Jedi are involved now." Ria said. Sevi gaped at her. "Yeah, they're protecting some Clan Kryze who went New Mandalorian. Duchess...Saltine or something. She issued some proclamation over the HoloNet too, saying that the New Mandalorians can usher in a new age of prosperity if everyone would yield to them."

"You think the Republic is going to step in?"

"The way she made it sound, they're only there to be her personal bodyguards, but for all I know the Republic is already putting its might behind her; those Jedi are a good enough indication of that if anything is. The New Mandalorians don't give a shit who started the war or what's going on, and the Republic still refuses to grant passage to our refugee ships and the Senate has blocked any bill that would grant Guarded Heart aid because we're a 'military organization that uses refugees as living shields' apparently. Of course they only offered Death Watch propaganda as proof of that."

"We're only a 'military organization' because no one else will bother to protect refugees from genocide! What are we supposed to do, just let anyone strafe and steal from them?"

"Yeah, best part is she had no evidence, yet she talked like Death Watch was perfectly legal except for the whole 'causing war' bit." Ria was beginning to boil. "Maybe we should send her some footage?"

"Someone like her would just ignore it." Sevi sighed heavily. No point getting riled up about politics when they had no power to change it, so she cycled topics again. "Anyway, did the mission succeed?"

"What, the medical supply run? Yeah, Joma said they had to cut it short, but they got some really valuable stuff to the medical personnel; the vaccines to stop the plague, even some equipment. You saved a lot of lives, you know."

"Yeah," Sevi drifted off, images of Dri's execution flashed through her mind. "We all knew what was at risk but I...I didn't think it could be...like that."

Ria nodded, but said nothing. She had a far off look in her eyes too. They continued on their walk, only silence and the fire of memories between them.


	12. Chapter 12

A few more weeks passed, and Sevi had healed enough to be placed back on active duty. Yona had delayed the raid on the mine after a few refugees joined the clan. They needed training and equipment, and once properly trained and outfitted, would be assets on the mission. Advanced scouting parties had surveyed the area and found it relatively undefended: a few heavy gun emplacements, and light personnel. There were likely more in the mines. Sevi was assigned to a combat party and the plan was after the demolitionists had taken out the heavy guns she and Ria, along with the rest of their group, would storm the mine entrances. Ria had insisted upon coming along as the team medic. It was, after all, her people and her clan. Yona couldn't refuse her even if she wanted to; Ria would've gone regardless. On top of the scouting parties there were also transport crews, each having a couple of medics assigned to them who would treat critical injuries. These transports would be used to ferry the rescued people to the Guarded Heart camp and out of danger, where they could receive proper medical treatment and long-term care if necessary. After final preparations, it was time to move out.

They traveled just after dusk. The vanguard had reported back that personnel was light, the guns were still up of course, but were manned by skeleton crews. Shani and other tech experts would jam radar and tracking systems, then the demolitionists, headed by Joma, would move out with the vanguard scouts to take out the heavy emplacements. Once they received confirmation of their destruction, Sevi and the other raiding parties would move into the mine camps and storm the entrance.

Sevi couldn't sit still in the transport. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and constantly peered out the windows. The others inside were equally anxious. Some checked and re-checked and re-re-checked their gear. Sevi turned her attention to Ria briefly. It was strange to see her in her deep purple armor, recently repainted to cover the medic crosses so she’d be less of a target, instead of her scrubs. She sat motionless, her eyes closed. She was breathing deeply, as if to try to calm herself. Normally Sevi would've tried to talk to her, to reassure both herself and to comfort Ria, but the grim look on her face told Sevi she shouldn't break the trance. They stopped behind some hills. It provided good cover and was close enough to the mine that those who could run would be able to make it with armed escorts. Everyone piled out of the transports, except Sevi and Ria, and organized themselves into their teams.

"Ria?" Sevi touched her lightly on the shoulder. Ria opened her eyes and looked up at Sevi. The stern look on her face had vanished, but was replaced by something else. Something Sevi couldn't quite place. Anxiety? Anticipation? Sevi could only guess, and asking would serve no purpose. Ria pulled her helmet on and hooked her arm into Sevi's. They exited the transport together.

They found their group standing outside. Two were familiar to Sevi, older members of Clan Brid, but one was new, a refugee. She greeted them, and they went over their squad’s battle plan. They checked each other's gear, making sure their rifles and pistols weren't jammed, that they had enough small explosives, and that their jetpacks were secured and armed with an anti-air missile. They all had checked their gear before leaving, but checking again helped to kill a little time while they waited for the demolitions crews to do their jobs. As soon as they finished, they heard multiple explosions. Joma came through the audio channels, announcing the destruction of the heavy guns.

"Clan Brid! Move out!" Yona shouted over comms.

Sevi's group flew into the compound. They snaked past fierce battles to reach the mine entrance. They secured explosives to the heavy door, backed off, and blasted it. They moved in, cautiously, taking cover as they moved. The corridors were lined with lights, and a brightly lit command center was near the center of three intersecting corridors, down a ways from the main entrance. The refugee recruit moved to toss a grenade into the command center, but Sevi quickly pulled him back into cover.

"Don't! We need to access the computers to find out where they're keeping the prisoners and we don't know how stable this cavern is." She told him. She pulled out a flashbang. "Try this."

The new recruit gently rolled the flashbang into the command center. It exploded, temporarily blinding the Death Watch. A moment was all Sevi needed. She took them down with perfectly aimed shots to their vulnerable areas. The two older members of the clan made sure they were dead. Ria began accessing the computers. Sevi took up the defensive position nearest to her.

"They have a map of the mine tunnels. Sending it to your helmet computers now." Ria said. She continued to search the computer, trying to find prisoner living quarters.

A group of Death Watch rushed up one of the corridors, firing. Ria ducked, still furiously accessing the computer. Entrenched in their cover, Sevi and her allies quickly took them out, but more were likely to come.

"Not to hurry you or anything, cyare, but we're sitting ducks here." Sevi gently nudged her.

After a few more moments, Ria stepped away from the console and shouted, "Follow me!"

She led them down a hallway to a lift. They went down three levels and emerged directly into a large bunking area. The lighting was beyond poor and many people were crammed into tight, unsanitary quarters.

"Oh shit..." One of the veterans said.

Ria took command. "I am Ria Yue, of Clan Yue. We're here to liberate you. Please tell me if there is anyone else further down who needs help."

A haggard old man approached her, took her hands and kissed them. "Thank you, thank you. My husband, they took him down to level 8 when he defended me from a guard. There are others down there with him. Please help them! They're being forced to do double shifts as punishment."

"Don't worry, sir." Ria pulled out a ration pack and handed it to him. "We'll get them all out."

Sevi stepped up next to Ria. "However, we need you all to remain here for the time being. There's fighting going on outside and if don't escort you, you may be shot. Once we get the others, we'll come back for you. Two of my party will remain here to protect you."

The man returned to his place and began to distribute the ration pack amongst the other prisoners. Ria should probably have stayed here to help everyone, but if Rico were here, he would've approached her, not some stranger, therefore he must be in the penal level, and nothing anyone said would stop her from being the first to find him. Ria spun around and quickly marched into the lift. Sevi and one of the older clan members went with her. The lift stopped at level 8. Blaster fire rocketed off the metal cage. The trio hit the deck. Sevi motioned for the others to hold their fire, and pulled her sniper scope/camera further down the barrel of her rifle, shoved the door back enough to fit the muzzle through, and fired. The Death Watch fell, and the three moved out of the lift, deeper into the tunnels.

Sevi raised her hand to halt the group. "Hear that?" Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Sounds like...pickaxes?" Ria moved ahead of Sevi. She rounded the corner, gasped, and dropped her pistol.

Sevi rushed up to her. She too gasped when she saw a group of emaciated people chiseling out the beskar with rudimentary tools. The people had stopped working when they saw the couple. Sevi and Ria pulled off their helmets. The other veteran approached behind them, letting out another "oh shit." A thin, short boy with sunken features, maybe 14 years old, ambled towards them. Sevi could barely make out his face when she realized...Ria wrapped the boy tightly in her arms and collapsed to her knees. She let out a terrible wail.

"Here, Rico, take some of this." Sevi gave him her water canteen. He grabbed it out of her hands and gulped it down.

"Easy, take it slow." Ria reminded him.

Tears were streaming down Ria's face and each breath sent her body into deep shudders. Sevi placed a hand on Ria's shoulder, and looked past to the other clanmate. He was moving the rest of the prisoners to the lift. Sevi recognized a few of the faces as Ria’s kin. She then wrapped her arm around Ria's shoulders and gently spoke to her.

"We need to get him and the others to safety. He needs medical care. Death Watch is coming, we have to move."

Ria inhaled deep, ragged breaths, forcing her body into stability. She wiped the tears from her eyes, then carried her little brother into the lift. "I will never, ever let you out of my sight again." She kissed his face and held him close. Rico simply smiled and buried his face into his sister's shoulder.

The lift stopped at level 3. The duo left behind had tried to take a headcount and estimated there were a hundred people. Sevi's group had saved about a dozen prisoners from the deep mines. The husband of the old man ran to his partner. The two embraced. Sevi thought about how challenging it would be to get everyone to the surface and to safety. They moved everyone to the top level, hid them in a defensible position. Sevi called in the first transport vehicles, and had the most critically ill loaded into it. Ria reluctantly handed her brother off to the medics and helped the other ill and injured inside. The transport took off. They repeated the process until the entire group had been ferried to safety. Sevi's squad had just emerged from the mine entrance when the last transport blew up.

"Nite Owls!" One of Sevi's squad shouted, pointing at the sky.

"Defend the transports!" Sevi fired up her jetpack and took to the skies.

She took out three of the Nite Owls before their leader swooped down, concussion grenade in hand and aimed for her. The blast rocketed Sevi's helmet off and broker her jetpack. She fell a meter to the ground, unconscious. Ria yelped. She picked up Sevi's rifle and fired it at the leader. Miss. If she weren't so enraged she would've remembered to ask Sevi to give her lessons, or figure out how to configure the damn thing to her helmet's targeting systems. But now was not the time. The Death Watch leader giggled as she fired the rocket from her jetpack. Ria fired up her thrusters and moved out of the way. Ria turned back to face her in mid-air. "I don't have fucking time for you!" She shot out her tripwire from her gauntlets; it wrapped itself along the ankle of the Death Watch. She pulled with all her might, slamming the Death Watch into the ground. Her jetpack broke, sparks flying. The Nite Owl leapt up, putting some distance between her and Ria. Ria landed, raised Sevi's rifle again, and fired. Blocked by the wrist shield. Ria was growing more and more furious by the second. "You better hope my girlfriend is fucking alive, because if she's not," the words caught in Ria's throat. The Death Watch laughed heartily and mocked her.

Ria's aim was shit. She knew it was. So she tried a different tactic, and one the Death Watch hopefully wouldn't expect. She rushed her, rifle in hand, and used it as a bludgeon. It connected, and knocked her helmet off, exposing the twisted countenance of a pale skinned woman, a silver headband messily holding back her red hair. She matched the description of the Nite Owl Sevi had said executed Dri, and yet there was something Ria recognized in her facial features. Ria didn't care enough to waste time figuring it out now and raised the rifle again to strike her with the butt, but the Death Watch evaded, grabbed it, and ripped it from Ria's hands. The Death Watch produced a knife from her gauntlet, thrusting wildly and with little tact; but where Ria failed at long range combat, she excelled at close range. She grabbed her arm and flipped her over onto her back. Ria grabbed a knife of her own from her belt, and shoved it into the Death Watch's shoulder, impaling her into the ground. She yowled like a lothcat on a pike, and Ria was about to finish the job when she heard the sound of a blaster firing. A Nite Owl who had been watching his leader fight Ria fell to the ground, blaster dropping uselessly from his hand. He had intended to kill her while she was occupied. Bastard.

Ria spun around to look at who had saved her. It was Sevi! Her brow was furrowed, anger in the eye that wasn't covered in blood from a head wound, but she was alive! She was the most beautiful sight Ria had ever seen in her life. Ria rushed up to her and kissed her passionately.

"Not that I'm complaining," Sevi grimaced, "but...I don't think I'm in great shape."

Ria nodded, scooped Sevi up in her arms, fired up her jetpack, and moved back to the hills as rapidly as possible, leaving the yowling Death Watch nailed to the ground. The people in the mine had been saved; there was no point sticking around to fight a useless battle.


	13. Chapter 13

Ria had been mulling over the identity of the Nite Owl leader while Rico and Sevi recovered. Rico was malnourished, suffering from starvation, and exhausted, but was making a steady recovery. He had been playfully griping about the camp food and Ria's hovering. He had to remain in the hospital to be monitored, but Sevi had recovered well enough from her concussion to be released for non-combat duties. For the first time in a long time, Ria was happy, truly happy. The two people she loved most in the world were safe, back where she could protect them. She decided to push the Nite Owl out of her mind, and turned on the HoloNet. More reports about how the New Mandalorians were rapidly gaining ground not just in Sundari, but across Mandalore and forging peace, supported by the Republic, that there was a massive battle between the True Mandalorians and Death Watch that devastated the True Mandalorians... Ria was concerned about the course of the war, but this coverage was awful. She was about to turn off the holo when the face of the New Mandalorian leader popped up. She stared at her, then realized...the Nite Owl leader had similar features. She ran out of the tent to find Sevi.

"Sevi! Sevi!" Ria grabbed her by the hand and yanked her to the holo. She turned it on to the face of Duchess Satine. "Tell me, does she look familiar?"

"Hut'unn!" Sevi was wide eyed as she stared at the hologram. "No wonder she refused to condemn Death Watch! Her family is in it!" She transferred the image to a portable holotransmitter. "We need to show my mother. Now."

The two ran over the to command tent. A guard told them a meeting was in place and tried to stop them, but the two shoved him aside and entered anyway.

"Forgive the intrusion," Ria said breathlessly, "but what we're about to show you changes everything about the war."

Sevi pulled up the holo of the New Mandalorian leader. "This woman resembles the Nite Owl who executed Dri and blew up the last transport."

Yona's expression said everything. Her eyes widened and she held her breath. "Are you trying to say..." She trailed off, but Sevi picked up her thought.

"That she's the sister or a relative of a high ranking member of Death Watch? Yes. Ria saw her face too, she's the one who brought this to my attention."

"I see." Yona had the same look on her face, and was utterly motionless. She moved her eyes first, then her body. She leaned over the table as if to steady herself. She finally said, "After the massacre of your clan, Ria, I cannot take any more risks. While our new recruits proved themselves during the raid, we still had high casualties. Death Watch is utterly ruthless. They murder those they can't enslave, and may have manufactured this entire civil war to put themselves in power and 'cleanse' Mandalore of people like us. So for that reason," she paused and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and began again, "I have decided to evacuate Clan Brid."

"Mama," Sevi began.

Yona held up her hand. "I will make the announcement." She turned to one of her aides. "Contact Guarded Heart headquarters and inform them of the situation. We can no longer remain here and I advise they do the same. The True Mandalorians have been wiped out to a man, and the New Mandalorians gain more and more ground each day. I cannot risk another genocide, and neither should they." She turned to the two young women. "Thank you both. For your valor, your service, your bravery, and your compassion." She wrapped her arms tightly around Sevi, then placed a hand on Ria's shoulder. She escorted them out of the tent with instructions to help the evacuation.


	14. Conclusion

Clan Brid successfully cleared Mandalore and went to warp to find a new world to settle on, far from the machinations of the new powers in Mandalorian society. Guarded Heart had chosen to remain on Mandalore, but were quickly dismantled after the war, with its leaders mysteriously vanishing. Whether they were arrested by secret police or managed to escape on their own was anyone's guess, but it was no longer a problem that concerned Clan Brid. Finding a new home where they would be safe was their only priority now. They traveled across the galaxy for months until they finally settled on an uninhabited moon, far in the outer rim. It had earth that, with a little tending, could be made fertile, and it was isolated and far from any shipping lanes. No one would bother them there.

Sevi left her home late one sleepless night to find Ria sitting by a lakeside. She was alone, skipping rocks.

"Can't sleep either huh?" Ria handed Sevi a rock.

"No...every time I try I dream...about it. About Dri. About the mine." Sevi tried to skip a rock but it plopped uselessly in the water.

"I see Rico in my dreams, not like he is now, fit and healthy, but like he was..." Ria trailed off.

"I'm lucky if I can get four hours in one night." Sevi tried to skip the rock again. It made two hops then sank.

"Rico doesn't sleep either. Sometimes I have to wake him because he's having such fits when he does manage to sleep." Ria reached for another skipping stone but found she was out. She leaned back and stared at the night sky, full of stars.

Sevi pressed her head into Ria's shoulder and stared at the stars with her. Instinctively, she scanned for Mandalore. "We might never be able to go back."

"Maybe, maybe not." Ria replied.

"But...you know what? It doesn't matter to me. We have each other. That's all the home we need. We went through hell together and we survived. The future might be uncertain, but with you at my side, I know I can handle anything."

Ria placed a finger beneath Sevi's chin, raised her face to hers. "I'll always be by your side." They kissed and sat in each other's company, in perfect silence, until the sun broke on a new day.


End file.
